Auf Achse
by ehcanadian
Summary: ’It was a lie. My whole life has been a lie, up to this point, Jack.' Jate. Completed.
1. Part One

_A/N: Are completely unnecessary for now._

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything you recognize. This story I wrote while listening to Franz Ferdinand's 'Auf Acshe'.

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**Auf Acshe**

_You see her, you can't touch her;  
You hear her, you can't hold her;  
You want her, you can't have her;  
You want to, but she won't let you.  
_**-Franz Ferdinand's 'Auf Acshe'-**

Jack Shepard lay in his bed, just like any other night, the hard rain pattering away at the roof and windows of his apartment. It reminded him oddly of the Island, yet he supposed everything did. Any product from the fruit aisle at the local supermarket to people passing him by on the street.

One time, he swore he saw Sun and Jin pushing a stroller down a busy New York street, and another, he thought he saw Hurley riding a bus at the intersection he crossed to get to work. Sawyer's face littered a wanted poster in his neighborhood post office, right next to Kate's. Day after day, Jack passed them, pausing just a minute to stare at the familiar faces. Then one morning, he just strode on by, not even bothering to stop.

What was the point? He knew there was a one in a million chance that he'd ever lay his eyes on the flesh and bone of Kate Austen's face once more. So he avoided it. He went to another mailbox on another street, took a different route to work, and stopped going to the coffee shop next door. Jack felt that it was best to just let go. So he was.

He didn't keep in contact with anyone anymore; despite the fact that when they went their separate ways the former Islanders swore up and down they'd e-mail and call each other frequently. Jack kept all the phone numbers and addresses safe in his bedside drawer, though he knew they were just gathering dust. Jack even had Kate's cell phone number in there. Well, what used to be her number, probably.

The letters and calls had stopped coming back in late September. Hurley was the last one who had contact with Jack, inviting him to a party, and that was on New Years. While all the survivors got together and watched the ball drop, Jack sat on his couch, a bag of chips and a beer his only company.

She had come to see him the morning after. Kate didn't even make it to the front steps, before she turned around, and headed back down the avenue. Jack had watched her back retreat through the open window as his ears heard the constant cheers and old fireworks going off. He didn't understand why she hadn't rung the bell, hadn't wanted to talk to him.

The week after, he had stopped walking his usual way to work.

And as Jack lay there in the bed, he realized something he had been denying for almost a year.

He loved her. He, Jack Shepard, loved Kate Austen with all his heart. Yet as soon as the feeling came to him, it left within a second, and everything was back to normal. The rain still beat on the roof, he was still in bed, and Kate was still out there somewhere, eluding her presence to almost every FBI agent in the country.

He turned over, and stared at the drawer, willing it to open. But it didn't. It sat there, closed. His cell phone sat on top of the bedside table, next to the clock that blinked its green numbers. 4:16am. Jack, taking a major leap of courage, yanked open the drawer, rifled around until he found the scrap of notebook paper with her curved handwriting on it.

He flipped open his cell, and typed in the number, his finger resting on the green call button.

Within a minute's time, he had pushed it, the usual cool lady-like voice telling him he had eight-hundred and twenty-four minute to make this call.

A mantra started through his head, the lady-like voice coming on, and saying _'Sorry, we are unable to connect this call. Check the number, and please try again.'_

Instead, he heard a distant ringing in the background, and his heart lifted.

"Hello?" Her voice was filled with tired laughter as he heard it.

Taking a deep breath, Jack, shifted the phone to his other ear, and said quietly, "Hello, Kate."

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_A/N: So, what'd you think of it? Think I should continue, or just leave it be? And please, be kind, and leave a review. I don't care if it's just one sentence composed of one word, or a paragraph pointing out every single grammatical error Microsoft Word, nor myself, didn't catch. (Though I'd pick the first option over the second any day.) J _

_(Oh J... Why oh why can't you take form of your true self and be a smiley for these people?)_


	2. Part Two

_A/N: You guys wanted a second chapter, so why not give the crowd what they want?_

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize I don't own. Title goes to Franz Ferdinand.

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**Previous Chapter:**

"_Hello?" Her voice was filled with tired laughter as he heard it._

_Taking a deep breath, Jack, shifted the phone to his other ear, and said quietly, "Hello, Kate."_

**Auf Achse  
**_Part 2_

"…Jack?" Kate dropped the glass she was holding, and it fell to the ground unceremoniously with a booming crash.

"What was that?" The voice on the other line asked, a small bit of concern lining it. Definitely Jack's.

"Nothing important." Kate shouldered the phone as she went to go get a broom. "So, what do you need?" He hadn't called before, before being around six months. Why was he doing this to her?

"Just wanted to check up on you…"

'"_Just wanted to check up on you…?" what kind of reply was that?' _Kate thought.She could tell Jack was lying, and Kate noticed he sounded tired all the same. Looking at the clock, and doing a fair amount of math, she deducted that it had to be somewhat around 4am in New York. "Yeah? Want to tell me the real reason, or are you up for a game of twenty questions?" Joking definitely wasn't her forte.

"I'll take the latter." Obviously it wasn't Jack's either. "I've seen posters of you around town."

"Mmmhmm. They do tend to turn up places, don't they?" She shot back sarcastically. Great, now she knew she was wanted in New York, too. There were few places in the world where she wasn't, she supposed, but the City had always been one of her favorite places to visit.

"I shouldn't have called." Now his voice dripped with embarrassment and defeat that Kate could tell he was trying to hide from her. "It was nice talking to you again…"

"Wait, Jack, I'm sorry." As much as Kate wanted to end the call, the feeling of comfort swelled in her, knowing she was talking to Jack. Her Jack. She wanted him to be happy, even if it was never with her. "So… How've you been?"

"…Great." He was building up confidence.

From what Kate heard, hermit Jack hadn't talked to anyone since he returned back to New York, except the occasional reply to an e-mail, or a forced hello on the phone. So this had to be something big, since he wasn't the 'out of the blue' type of guy.

"Work's going well then, I presume?" Kate pushed him a bit harder; she knew his shell had a weaker spot at one point or another. Sweeping up the broken glass, she became aware as he gushed out about all the great surgeries and such. Then the inevitable question came out, and Kate knew she had to answer it honestly, since Jack was Jack.

"Yourself?" There it was. As much as Kate didn't want to talk about it, she knew she had to.

"Well, not much. I'm in England at the moment, rooming with Charlie and Claire. They've been nice enough to help me out a bit." A small child's gurgle came from the adjoining room, and Kate went to go pick the baby up.

"Hey there, girly," she whisper cooed at it, brushing the soft auburn hair out of its sparkling green eyes. Kate knew she'd have to tell him at one point or another, but over the phone certainly wasn't the place, and this certainly wasn't the time.

"What'd you say?" Jack asked, and she could tell he was straining to hear what she had said.

Kate bit her lip. "Nothing. I… just… nothing. Look, it's already late for you, so I'd better let you go." She knew she didn't want to talk much longer, or else she'd accidentally let it slip out.

"Tell me." His voice sounded forceful.

"I-I ca- No." Kate knew she couldn't, and her voice sounded panicked over the line. She mentally slapped herself, because now he knew something was wrong. _'Not now, not now.'_ The mantra kept repeating inside her head.

"Kate, tell me." Now he just sounded irritated.

And she didn't want to tell him. Kate knew he'd be mad when he found out, and now she was just adding branches to the fire. "Give me a reason why."

"Dammit, Kate, I love you! How's that for a reason?"

The fugitive's phone slipped out from underneath her ear and fell onto the floor with a clatter. "Hold on, Jack!" She had to yell to make sure he heard her.

Her daughter started crying, and Kate gently rocked her before depositing her on the couch, picking up the phone, and walked back into the kitchen where the room was devoid of crying.

"Jesus, whose kid are you watching? Aaron?" Jack's voice once again filled her ear, thoroughly frustrated and angered.

"No, Jack, I'm watching my own kid, thanks for asking."

This time, it was his phone that was dropped.

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_A/N: Should I continue? This chapter was a bit weird to write, and I kind of don't like the outcome that it has, but oh well. _


	3. Part Three: A Filler

_A/N: Wow, I'm totally amazed… I seriously didn't think this story was going to get any attention… Funny how life tends to prove human nature wrong._

**Disclaimer:** Short and simple, folks: Anything you recognize is not mine.

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**Previous Chapter:**

"_Jesus, whose kid are you watching? Aaron?" Jack's voice once again filled her ear, thoroughly frustrated and angered._

"_No, Jack, I'm watching my own kid, thanks for asking."_

_This time, it was his phone that was dropped._

**Auf Achse  
**_Part Three_

The daytime peeking in-between the curtains of Jack's room, spots of sunlight rushing over his bed like cars on a highway, Jack laid back on his bed, massaging his head as Kate explained what had happened.

"Whose is it?" Jack asked into the phone, only to be met with silence from the other end. "Kate, I need to know. Whose is it?"

A voice barely above a whisper spoke quickly; and quietly. It was so hushed that anyone else could have heard a pin drop, but the name rang out in Jack's ears like a bell.

_Sawyer's._

"How old is it?" He wanted to know. He might as well have guessed it was on the Island. Jack knew Kate had been going through some rough time back then, and he wasn't exactly Mr. Helpful then. Oh, who was he kidding, he wasn't helpful now either.

He had to radiate a half-smile as Kate told him off for calling her daughter an 'It'. It was a human being, not some inanimate object that could be kicked around, so she said. But when things came down to Sawyer, every individual point was referred to as "his", "him", or "it." They held no significant influence in Jack's life.

Oh, how wrong he was.

He could hear Claire come into the kitchen, clutching a crying child in her arms, and Jack could just imagine her staring monotonously into Kate's eyes. "Kate, you know better then to leave Emma crying. It's not good for her." He heard over the line.

Kate must have quickly put a finger to her lips, because she went back to the conversation deftly.

_Emma._

He now knew the name, and a pain shot through his heart. He couldn't believe it. Kate actually had a daughter, Claire had just confirmed it.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Kate." He tried again. He needed to know.

"My minutes on my cell phone are running out." _'Just another excuse. Seems she was full of them lately,'_ he carelessly thought.

"I don't care what's running out." Jack was agitated now, and just wanted the conversation to end. "The apocalypse could come, and you'd be no closer to telling me the truth, am I correct?"

All he got was an icy click, and the tone of a far away cell phone.

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_A/N: I know, I know. It was a filler chapter, and those are usually short.Sorry guys… It's setting up for thesomething bignext chapter, only it won't be over the phone. Heh, hint._


	4. Part Four

_A/N: Heh… I know. It's late. Pleasedon'tkillme.  
__Might as well finish this up while I still have time. Thanks for the reviews, guys. I really appreciated them all. You have no idea how much they mean to a writer, unless you are one. I'm on Spring Break right now, so I'm going to get a lot of writing done. Most of it will be in Gilmore Girls, because I haven't written anything for them in a while, but if I'm in the mood, I might pop back in here for some more Jate. Because, who in the world can resist the perfectness of Jate? I mean… I know I sure can't.  
__Anyway, it's been a pleasure writing for you all.  
__It's been weird, not writing those huge A/N's like normal. I mean… There's not much to say about Lost… In a weird way. I mean, you can't write anything random about it because it's such a serious show. Well, in my opinion, it is. Very good show, though.  
__Red pop, anyone? (There, that's random.)_

_Oh yeah, you get to dance with Jack, if you review. Queue line starts back there_

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize, I don't own.

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**Previous Chapter:**

"_I don't care what's running out." Jack was agitated now, and just wanted the conversation to end. "The apocalypse could come, and you'd be no closer to telling me the truth, am I correct?"_

_All he got was an icy click, and the tone of a far away cell phone._

**Auf Achse  
**_Part Four_

Kate swiftly threw the phone back in her purse, and started rifling around for one of her cigarettes. She knew she shouldn't smoke around the baby, but this called for it. When she found the compartment, Kate found everything but the package, and let out a growl.

"Claire! Where are they!" She swung around, and turned to face the short, five-month pregnant woman. Kate knew she was treading dangerous water already, since Claire was most prominently against smoking. It took months to get Charlie off the drugs, and then off the cigarettes that got him off the drugs. Once he had let go of the horrible habit, the house had been void of all hazardous materials to the children. And that's when Kate started up.

But all Claire gave her was an innocent smile, and an "I guess you must have run out."

Kate let out an angry roar, grabbed Emma and her keys, and walked to the front down of the townhouse. "I'll be back later." Was all she said as she left.

Making her way down the steps, she saw a familiar car pull up, and a sandy blonde head poke out from between the doors.

"Well hey there, Freckles. Didn't expect you to give me such a warm welcome, but I guess I can grow on it." The mischievous grin glowed underneath his tan, and it just added to the southern accent. "I see you got the good doc's kid there. Where you gals goin'?"

All he got in return was an icy glare that reached Kate's eyes before she got in her beat-up old Mustang and drove off down the street. Emma pointed at the man heading inside, and said "Dada!"

"No, Em, Sawyer isn't your dada." It was the first time Kate has ever spoken of it. She knew Emma was too young to understand what she was saying, but she plowed on anyway. The plan was to say that Emma was Sawyer's kid, so Jack would never bother Kate. It'd be too painful for the both of them, and Kate knew he'd want custody of Emma, and she couldn't handle that. Sawyer knew she wasn't his kid, but he still liked to mess around, and go along with it, just so he could be closer to Kate. Eventually, she'd give in.

_Eventually._

Before she knew it, Kate was at the gas station. She pulled up to the parking space, and stared out the door. She knew she shouldn't be here. Not here as in 'at the gas station', but here as in 'England'. Jack should have a right to know of Emma.

The sight of planes taking off nearby made Kate's stomach plummet as she drove to the parking lot. No one knew she was here. One minute she had been filling up her tank, the next she was getting off at the exit for the international airport.

Her cell phone rang, and she checked the caller ID while pulling Emma out of her car seat.

_'Claire.'_ It read while the monotone ring of 'Cha Cha Slide' still went off.

"Hi, Claire." She quietly said into the mouthpiece.

"Kate! Where the bloody hell have you been! It's been an hour! You said you were just going to go get smokes! Not spend the bloody day driving around because we had a flimsy fight!" Claire's voice screamed. But Kate could still tell the concern from the anger, and she knew that in the end, this was her way of dealing with things.

"I'm at the airport." Kate swiftly cut in, knowing this would slice Claire's image of a perfect day in half.

"What! Why!" The pregnant woman asked again.

"You know who I was talking to, before I asked you where my cigarettes were?" Kate was close to breaking half herself, and she slammed the door shut, making her way to the entrance with Emma in tow.

"Who?"

"Jack." Kate only had to speak the one word. Jack's name had become a danger to speak in the household of the Paces. She didn't know why, but as time grew over the wounds, it was rarely spoken, and now, almost never.

"Oh." That was all Claire had to say, before it clicked. "He knows, then?" A sigh came over the phone.

"Not completely. He knows I have a kid. And he thinks its Sawyer's, like we planned." Kate sighed along.

"Then I don't see the problem. I thought that's what we wanted." Claire's soothing voice was somewhat of a comfort to her.

"He needs to know." Kate stopped, right before she got all teary-eyed. The last thing she wanted was to break down like some mad woman right in the middle of an airport. "He needs to know Emma is his."

A while later, a plane made it's descent down to New York City's airport. On it, was Kate and Emma. The child was sleeping in her arms as Kate hailed a taxi. She had looked up the Shepard residence in a phone booth nearby.

Only a couple more blocks away from her life.

_From her destiny._

Kate made a face at the thought. _'Destiny? There is none.'_

She got out in front of the apartment, the rain pouring down still. Taking cover under the giant covered walkway, she nodded at the doorman, who let her in.

Kate gaped in awe at the lobby of the place. Everything was white, and marble. This whole set-up cost more then she had ever made in her life combined. Drenched, and looking for the elevator, she soon came across it at the very back.

The tinkling elevator music woke up Emma, who started crying.

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Jack was sitting in his, bed contemplating the day. More then he ever cared to think about, he knew had probably ruined his only chance to ever get back with Kate.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Jack looked at his clock. 4am. _'Who on earth would be calling on me this hour?'_

And then it clicked.

'_You're the last of your kind, Mona Lisa  
With a wink of your eye,  
Ya make it all right  
Oh there's more left to life, Mona Lisa  
Let me take you along for the ride'  
_**-Grant-Lee Phillips' 'Mona Lisa'-

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_A/N:_ _Again, thanks!_


	5. Part Five

_A/N: The next-to-final chapter of 'Auf Achse'. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys! You have no idea how much they mean to me! And, to answer **Dogwood Flower's** question, Auf Achse means "on truck" or "traveling a lot" in German. Figured that might interest you people.  
__I'm dedicating this chapter to **EternalConfusion**, who first off, asked me to make it long and fluffy, and secondly, she agreed to be my beta! Yay her!  
__And if you guys till want to keep in touch, and read any of my other writings before they hit ff(dot)net, you can friend me on LiveJournal! **fanoflost** is my name there._

**Disclaimer: **Anything you recognize, I don't own.

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**Previous Chapter:**

_Jack was sitting in his, bed contemplating the day. More then he ever cared to think about, he knew had probably ruined his only chance to ever get back with Kate._

_Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Jack looked at his clock. 4am. _'Who on earth would be calling on me this hour?'

_And then it clicked._

**Auf Achse  
**_Part Five_

Jack whipped open the door faster then lightening, and there was Kate, a sleeping child in her arms. The woman looked drenched and tired, nearly having fallen down when Jack opened the only thing she rested on.

"Kate…" He said, letting out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. "You're okay."

The prior criminal only gave him a weary grin before embedding him in a hug. "Of course I am. What'd you think happen? Me getting killed in the thirteen hours we didn't talk?"

"…But… I thought you were mad at me…" Jack said, babbling bewilderingly as she let go of him. _'What on earth is this all about?'_ He thought to himself.

"Well… I mean… I wasn't _mad_ at you, exactly." Kate stumbled over her words, trying to think of a way to word what she was about to tell him.

"You weren't?" He smiled slightly. Jack had never seen Kate so insecure as she was now. It was amusing, yet concerning. "Well, come on in, and tell me what's going on…" He looked at Emma dolefully, and then peeked around outside the hallway. "Where's Sawyer, anyway?"

'_Maybe she left him. Maybe she's here because she wants to be with me. Maybe I'm the last resort.' _He thought to himself, the last upsetting him a bit.

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about."

That sentence brought him back down to reality, and he quickly entered after her, closing the door behind him.

Jack was glad he had cleaned at least some that day. He would have made sure the apartment was in pristine condition if he had known Kate was coming before ahead of time.

"Want something to drink?" He asked her with false cheeriness that made him cringe, heading into the kitchen, grabbing a beer for himself. _'Why am I acting so weird all of the sudden?'_ He mentally slapped himself, _'It's just Kate.'_

_Just Kate._

"Err, no, I'm fine." He could tell she was lying. It was that instinct he had when he was around her. She had all sorts of tones, and Jack could tell every one of them apart. From her happiest one, the one she probably used when telling Claire she was pregnant, to her angriest, when she used to tell off Sawyer for scaring the little kids back on the Island.

He got her a beer anyway, and walked back out to the living room, handing it to her as he sat down next to her. "You at least want to change? I've got a couple of old shirts and pants, and such." Jack imagined her with his shirt on, and he shivered with delight at the image.

Kate nodded, postponing whatever she wanted to tell him, and got up. "Yeah. These are starting to annoy me…" Another lie. It still amazed him when she could lie straight to his face, and not bat an eyelash about it. But then again, she was a criminal.

Jack went along with it, knowing Kate would tell him whatever it was in due time, and went to his bedroom to pick them out from his dresser.

When he returned, Kate traded Emma for the clothes, and walked to the bathroom quickly.

Jack had no idea about babies. He never really wanted a child; when they screamed and cried, it tended to annoy him.

Emma yawned, outstretching her arms, and wrapped her small fragile hand around his finger. Opening her eyes, she stared straight into his brown ones.

Jack knew they were familiar. The green couldn't be kept hidden forever, and the stubbornness brought them out even more. But what really stumped him was the dark hair. It was almost like he was holding a miniature Kate in his arms.

------------------------------------

Kate watched the two bond from her hiding place around the corner. She smiled to herself, breathing lightly. The shirt reeked of Jack, the smell of man, and she loved it. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't care if she nicked it from him for memory purposes.

"Jack…" She said quietly, peeling herself from the wall. She might as well tell him, and take the storm now. Her round-trip tickets were for an 11pm flight. She had two hours to tell him, and talk to him, and then she would leave, with Emma in tow.

Jack would never have full custody of that girl, not if Kate could help it.

He looked up, and smiled, "She looks exactly like you." Was all he said, staring back down at the joy in his arms.

"You know, I think she has your hair." Kate walked over to Emma, and smiled. "Maybe your ears, too. And most definitely your patience. Claire and I haven't gone over the full list yet, though."

Jack's head shot up, and his eyes penetrated Kate, "What do you mean?"

"She's yours, Jack. She's yours…"

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And Jack could tell that this time, Kate wasn't lying.

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_A/N: Awww… What a nice ending to that chapter…  
Remember... LiveJournal calls to you... We've got cookies!  
__To all who reviewed before, Jack's all excited for dancing!  
__**Jack:** Yeah, I totally kicked Kate's ass on DDR…  
__And if you review this time… Err… You get free pie! Just go up to any store, and get your pie, and then run back out. And if those mean officials start to run after you, I dearly advise you to run ever faster._

_Remember reviews make my day, even if they're one-worders, like… Cheez-Its!_


	6. Part Six: The Last And Final Part

_A/N: Well, it's the last chapter… Yeah. I might not pop up for a while, since I just got a job (busing tables. Fun stuff.), and school's been really hectic lately. The good thing is that I'm giving up Clarinet for a while, so that can free up some of my time. Only nineteen more days of school (not including weekends)… Think I can handle it?_

**Disclaimer:** You guys know the drill… Anything you recognize, I don't own.

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**Previous Chapter:**

"_You know, I think she has your hair." Kate walked over to Emma, and smiled. "Maybe your ears, too. And most definitely your patience. Claire and I haven't gone over the full list yet, though."_

_Jack's head shot up, and his eyes penetrated Kate, "What do you mean?"_

"_She's yours, Jack. She's yours…"_

_And Jack could tell that this time, Kate wasn't lying._

**Auf Achse  
**_The Last and Final Part – Part Six_

_In a bullet proof vest,  
With the windows all closed,  
I'll be doing my best,  
I'll see you soon,  
In a telescope lens,  
And when all you want is friends,  
I'll see you soon.  
_**-Coldplay's 'See You Soon'-**

"Mine?" Jack looked at the small child in his arms. "…Are you serious? Because if this is some kind of joke, it really isn't fu-" He was cut off by Kate moving closer to him, and giving him the most serious stare he had ever seen. Her eyes were filled with hundreds of emotions, and it was hard to see which one was the most predominant one.

"You wanted me to start telling the truth, right? Well, there's the truth, sitting right in your arms." Kate pointed at the little bundle of joy she had given birth to just a year before.

"Bu-But you told me it was Sawyer's. It's Sawyer's. Kate, I'm not ready to be a dad. I'm not that type, and I don't think I'll ever be." A thousand excuses poured into his mind like water into a cup. Words couldn't come quickly enough, and sentences were forming on his tongue and erasing faster then he could get them out.

"It was a lie. My whole life has been a lie, up to this point, Jack. Claire is the only one who knows Emma is yours. Her and I. No one else, except you now." Kate said calmly, taking the sleeping child from his arms, and setting her back into the baby carrier. "You have somewhere quieter we could talk this out?" The maternal instinct was taking over.

"No." Jack replied before he could stop himself. "You mean to tell me that you lied to me? Kate, I could've helped out! I could have sent money, or visited her! How do you think I feel, knowing that I'll never hear my daughter's first words? Or see her first walk? I'll never hear that first cry, or that first noise that you thought was a word, but ended up being a burp!" He screamed at her, and slammed his fist into the counter. "Dammit, Kate!"

"I… I thought you weren't ready to be a dad. I thought it'd be better that you'd never know. I thought you and I were over."

"You thought, did you? You thought wrong!" He yelled again, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"I hadn't heard from you for a year, Jack! No phone call until today! What the hell was I supposed to have thought!" Kate started screaming back. She was sick and tired, and had gotten herself into a mess she hadn't wanted to go ever near in the first place. She should had just stayed at the gas station, gotten over the feeling, and went back to Claire's.

And as Kate voiced this, Jack's face grew solemn, realizing what he just said before. "Kate…"

"What now? Want to sock it at me some more, tough guy? Slam your fist into the wall, make a decent sized dent to remember me by? Go ahead, take a shot. Because you'll know in the end that you had your chance to become a dad. To become a husband, and to have a normal family. And now, all you're stuck with is a dead father, and an overly-controlling mother, because you gave up that chance when you didn't call." Kate glared at the doctor, feeling nothing but hatred and another thing.

_Fear._

Fear for her life, fear for her daughter. Fear about her financial situation, fear about her home. Fear for many things that she had been shutting out before.

"You're right." Jack hung his head low in defeat. "I gave it all up. It was silly and stupid for me not to make that phone call so many months ago, and I'm starting to regret that now. You're right about me not ready to become a dad, and you're right that I'm stuck with a crappy family situation. You were right when you said that I gave up the right to being a husband, and to having a semi-normal family with you. You're right about it all." He fought to keep back tears, because doctors weren't supposed to cry. He wasn't supposed to cry.

"Damn straight I'm right!" Kate rubbed her temple, and stared down at the floor. She felt bad for Jack, and suddenly, a realization came to her mind. For the first time in years, someone was admitting she was right. It was a good feeling to feel. But she wanted to share it with someone. Someone that meant a lot to her.

So she did.

"You know, the funniest thing happened to me today." She looked up at Jack, her eyes smiling.

"Yeah? What?" Jack raised his eyebrows at the sudden change in mood.

"Some doctor told me I was right today. Imagine, some high authority man telling a prior criminal she was right. It was a very life-altering moment." Kate started laughing.

Jack felt like laughing along with her, and thus he did. "Must have been."

"And you know what else was weird today?" She went on, looking him straight in the eye.

"What?" He wasn't sure what was to come next.

"The same man told me he loved me. And I felt the same way for him." Kate's eyes were shining, and Jack was sure this was as cliché as it could get.

"Really?" He grinned, walking up to her.

"Really." She managed to get out before Jack took her in his arms, and gave the most passionate kiss he had ever shared with anyone before.

_Finish

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_

_A/N: Awww! After a month's anticipation, the ending is finally out! I can finally deem this story complete!  
__**Jack:** I pwned her at DDR, though. flexes his muscles_

_Anyone interested in a sequel?_

_Remember, reviews make me proud, and more willing to write! I don't care if it's a whole page long review on how much the ending sucked, or if it's a word like… Starbursts. You can say whatever your favorite food is, or leave the most random remark ever, like "Meet me in Prague." or something._

_Although, I might have to make some summer alterations if I'm to meet you in Prague… _


End file.
